Jacksonville Dreamin'
by ibreak4CSI
Summary: [GC] A case takes Grissom and Catherine to Jacksonville, Texas. [Not a casecentered fic] !COMPLETE!
1. Surprise!

Summary: A case takes Grissom and Catherine to Jacksonville, Texas. (not a case-centered fic, though)

Rating: T, to be safe for later chapters

Pairing:does a patheic attempt at a game-show host voice Only the best pairing in the world...Grissom/Catherine!

Category: Romance/Humor

Notes: Wow. What can I say? I had an incredibly random idea, and this is what it turned into. ) I also have no clue if there is a town in Texas called Jacksonville. I just made it up, cause I needed a "J" fic, and it sounded good at the moment. :) I have never actually heard California Dreamin', so as far as I know, it's nothing like it. The title will make sense when you read the whole fic. Hopefully, anyways... ) I am switching back and forth between this and "Personal Stuff", cause they are like completely different. My goal is to have one chapter of each up every other day. Although that probably won't happen, cause I will be busy sitting for my 2-month old cousin the rest of the week. And, no offence to you all, but he takes priority! )

Disclaimer:Not mine.

gcgcgcgc change POV

--Jacksonville Dreamin'--

"Why can't I go? I'm from Texas. I could help."

Nick stood in front of my desk. I really don't understand why he thinks whining will help his cause. He must be spending too much time with Greg. Although Greg seems to have improved over these last several months, he is still Greg, after all.

"Nick, I told you. Catherine and I are going, and that's final."

"All right, Grissom. But you can't deny that you are at least showing a little favoritism."

And with that, he turned and left my office. Now what would give him that idea? I am not being partial. I mean, Catherine and I were already on this case.

Shrugging my shoulders, I turned back to the ridiculously large load of paperwork that covered my desk. Might as well get something done while I was waiting. Catherine was on her way to the lab, where I would tell her about the trip. The slight fact I had not told Nick was that I had not mentioned this trip to Catherine yet.

Fifteen minutes and a couple forms later, Catherine stalks into my office without invitation and plops down into a chair in front of my desk.

"Something wrong?"

"No. Just stress."

"Well, how about taking a trip. That light help relieve a little stress."

She cocked an eyebrow.

"Gil, you know I can't take a vacation. I have Lindsey, and the cases I am working on...And besides, where would I go?"

"Oh, I don't know," I said as nonchalantly as I could "I hear Texas is nice this time of year."

She just stared at me, looking totally unimpressed and a little suspicious.

"Gil. It's August. It's a hundred twenty degrees this time of year. And what are you getting at, because if I didn't know you better, I would think you were trying to get rid of me."

So sue me. I'm an entemologist not an actor.

"Well, I was just trying to get warmed up to the idea. You know the Kimmy Wilson case?"

Her look became puzzled.

"Yess," She dragged out the word so it sounded like it was totally obvious. "What about it?"

"We are going to Jacksonville, Texas."

"Are you serious?"

"Perfectly."

"You're not kidding?"

I shook me head no.

She sighed.

"I know. That could be fun, I guess. But when are we going? I mean, I have to arrange a sitter for Lindsey, pack, and..."

"Catherine."

She stopped her rambling.

"I already contacted your sister. She will watch Lindsey for as long as we're gone."

"You already talked to her?"

"Yes, Catherine. We leave tomorrow morning, so I figured I would help you out a little."

She sighed yet again.

"I don't know whether to yell at you or thank y...Wait a second, did you say tomorrow _morning_!"

"Yes."

"As in a few hours from now?"

That would be the part I really didn't want to tell her, although by putting it off, I am sure I only made it worse. But there's nothing I can do about it now.

"Yes, Catherine. Six hours, to be exact."

"Gil Grissom! What the hell did you think you were doing by waiting so long to tell me! You could have called me!"

"Ummm..."

"Exactly. Now please excuse me while I go _back_ to the house I just came from so I can pack. I will meet you at your townhouse in four hours."

And with that, she stood up and left my office. Wow, I knew she would be upset, but that was worse than I expected. Maybe something other than stress was wrong. But of course, you never know with women.

Especially that woman.

gcgcgcgcgc

I pulled up to Gil's townhouse a little over three and a half hours later, having just dropped Lindsey off at Nancy's.

I knew I had alot of explaining to do. Sure, he had had no right to spring that on me with so little warning, but I knew that I had responded way too harshly. It was true I was under alot of stress. But the main reason was my current boyfriend. Or lack of one, I might say. I caught Jeremy cheating on me with some blonde bimbo yesterday. I really don't know what it is with me and the wrong men. I always seem to pick them.

I chose to ignore the little voice in my head that whispered that I chose them because they were the opposite of the man I really wanted.

Speak of the devil, he was standing right outside the Tahoe.

I stepped out and looked down at the ground

"Hey, listen... About earlier..."

"It's okay, Catherine."

God, that's one of the things I love, no like--Yeah, that's what I meant--like about him. He knows I didn't mean it, and forgives me so easily.

"Thanks. Well, we better get going, or we will miss our flight 'cause of all the security. And we don't want to miss out on Texas!" I said, jokingly, attempting to lighten the mood. It worked, and soon we climbed into the Tahoe, and drove off toward the airport in much better spirits.

TBC...

Note: The promised humor mainly starts in the next chapter. But there will be some, I swear:)


	2. Flirting

Notes: The only thing I can really say is that, except for the last two chapters which were the basic idea for this fic (it was originally going to be only three chapters long), this is turning out completely different than I had planned. I hope you like it the way it is. :)

And yes, I realize that Jacksonville is every bit the cliched small hick town. But who cares? I love stuff like that! ;) And the town I live in is, ahem, may I say, not much better? lol!

Disclaimer: See chapter one if you feel the odd urge to check.

--Jacksonville Dreamin' Chapter Two--

Two hours later, I was seated next to Gil on the plane. We chatted a little, but before I knew what was happening, I talking to no one, and he was engrossed in a forensics magazine.

"Gil Grissom, were you even listening to me?"

His head jerked straight up and he turned to face me. "What? Oh, yes - yes, of course, Catherine...What was it you were saying?" He finished rather sheepishly.

I just rolled my eyes at him."Gil, you are hopeless."

"I most certainly am not. I was simply engrossed in a very interesting article."

"Oh, really? And what, exactly, was so interesting that it distracted you away from me? 'Cause, you know, I may have to throw it out."

I paused, and he looked at me, offended.

"I'm kidding, Gil."

"Oh. Right." He paused, and went back to his highly engrossing article. "I knew that."

"Yeah, I'm sure. But seriously... " I snatched the magazine from his hands, ignoring his exclamation.

"Come on. Talk to me."

"What about?"

"How about you pick. I always seem to choose our conversations."

"Are you telling me that you are tired of that?"

"No. I just want you to pick. Now pick."

"Okay. Kimmie Wilson. Now, I know the blood spatter was consistent with..."

"Gil Grissom!"

"That's the second time I have heard my full name in five minutes. That can't be good. You just said to pick a subject so I did."

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Okay, then, mister wise guy, I will be more specific. Pick a subject other than work."

"Like...?"

I sighed.

"Okay, now I know that you really are hopless." I said, continuing to tease him.

"No, I'm not. How are you and Lindsey?"

He seemed quite proud of himself for that. Unfortunately, I was going to burst his bubble.

"Gil? You asked me that on the way here."

"I did? Oh, I did, didn't I?"

"Yep."

I was actually quite enjoying myself. I love it so much when we banter back and forth--especially if I am winning. He was in control all the time, and when I am ahead, the most fun thing in the world is to rub his face in it. But of course, I didn't want to annoy him, so I decided to change the subject.

"So..."

"So..."

We both spoke at the same time and laughed.

"Listen, Gil. We are going to Texas. Lighten up! Have fun! Okay, so we are on a case, but still. Listen. You know that we know everything there is to know about this case. We just have a couple loose ends that we need to tie up. And they happened to require us to go to Texas. Now, you better have packed some fun clothes, not those..." Her eyes swept downward."...work clothes you always wear. And we are not going to talk to work at least until we land. Deal?"

"What's wrong with my clothes?"

"Nothing; They just aren't made for fun."

"Alright, deal. But Catherine..."

I should have known there was a 'but' coming.

"I didn't pack any 'fun' clothes."

I shook my head for what seemed like the umphteenth time in less than an hour. This man needed some serious help. As I thought about it, a slow smile spread across my face, and a happy Gil went back to his article. The rest of the plane ride was silent, and we arrived at the airport a little over two hours later.

We picked up the Denali that Gil had rented ahead of time, and started off down the highway.

A little over an hour later, we crossed a sign that said,

JACKSONVILLE, TEXAS

POPULATION 1004

"Wow. This is a really small town."

"Is there something wrong with that, Catherine?"

"Of course not. It's just that I usually think of those 'one-horse towns' that you hear about in movies and books existed only there--in fiction. But I guess not." I added, glancing around toward the small motel they had come to a stop next to.

We climbed out of the Denali and headed towards the small building marked "CHECK IN HERE."

We stepped into the dim, but surprisingly clean room, letting out eyes adjust to the lack of sunlight that seemed to bright outside. A slightly overweight, but pretty receptionist who looked to be around thirty sat at her computer playing Spider Solitaire.

"Hello! And how may I help y'all?" She asked with a snap of her gum, and an accent that reminded me of Nick.

"We would like two rooms, please."

"Just a minute, please...Okay, here you are. Rooms 3 and 4. There is a connecting door between them that either of your room keys will open. They are right around the corner. Would you like me to show you?" She asked with a bat of her eyelashes directed at Grissom.

What the hell? What on earth gave her the right to flirt with Gil?

"I think we can find it on out own, thanks." I replied with a stiff smile, grabbing our keys, along with Grissom's hand and walking out the door.

"Catherine? What was that? That girl was perfectly nice."

"Oh, she was _nice_ alright."I muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"She was flirting with you!"

Grissom looked taken aback.

"No, she wasn't."

"Yes, she was. Didn't you see little eyelash-flutter thing?"

"No, I can't say that I did. Is something wrong, Catherine."

"No. I just...I mean, she didn't even know you. For all she knew, we could have been married!"

"We requested seperate rooms. I don't think she thought we were married."

"We could have had a lovers' quarrel."

"Catherine, is there a really a reason for this conversation? If it helps, I did not find her in the least attractive."

I paused. "Really? Oh, here they are."

"No, although I still don't see how it's relevent."

I stepped into my room, but turned back around.

"Oh, it is. Trust me."

"I suppose you aren't going to tell me why, either."

"Nope. So, what do you want for dinner? Or do you just want bed?" She asked with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"Catherine!"

"I was just kidding! I thought I did a mean impression of that receptionist. What do you think?" I teased, batting my eyelashes.

"I thought we were through with that conversation."

"We are. I noticed a diner about half a mile back. It looked good. Although I have to change first."

"That's fine. What's the matter with what you are wearing?" he asked, with a glance at the outfit in question.

"I've been traveling in it all day."

"I really don't think anyone will care."

"Do you want me to go looking ugly, Gil; or are you just hungry."

"You couldn't be ugly if you tried, Catherine."

Woah, what had he meant by that comment? I shifted my eyes to his, but they were blank, like he was stating a fact, not complimenting me. I guess he hadn't meant that in the way it sounded. Probably just my overactive imagination.

"Okay, then. Let's go." I said with a bright smile.

Two minutes later, we were off.

TBC...


	3. Ginger ale

Notes: Sorry this chapter is so short; it's pretty much just a set-up for the next chapter, which was the whole idea for this fic. The rest was just kind of added so it would make sense. ;)

gcgcgc-change POV

--Jacksonville Dreamin' Chapter Three--

"Oh, I shouldn't have eaten all of that barbecue." Gil moaned.

"I told you not to." I laughed.

We had gone to the diner a couple hours earlier, and it was every bit as good as it had looked. Unfortunately, the servings were about the size of a meal you would see Bigfoot eating. I mean, they were huge. Not that I am complaining about that, exactly. I got about half-way through mine, and believe me, that wasn't a small portion, but Gil, for some reason, had become convinced that he had to eat it all in one sitting. He had been sure that if we took it in a to go box, and microwaved it later, that it would ruin the flavor. So, after losing a minor arguement/teasing match about it, I sat there for an extra half hour, waiting for him to finish. Which he did, eventually. And by the time we got to the car, he was complaining about a stomachache. So I decided that he would simply get what I gave Lindsey when she has an upset stomache. Ginger ale.

Which is why we pulled into a small honkey-tonk about a quarter mile from out hotel.

We entered the small, neon-lit room, and I was immediately taken over by the aroma of alcohol and...well, more alcohol.

I led Gil to one of the four small tables on this side if the two pool tables, both of which were occupied. We slid into the faded vinal seats, and waited for someone to notice us. Which didn't take long.

A tall, twenty-something woman in very short shorts, a bellybutton shirt, black cowboy boots, and a matching cowboy hat came sauntering up about thirty seconds later. Her long, dark hair flowed loose around her shoulders as she leaned forward toward us to take our orders.

"Can I get y'all anything to drink?"

"Yes, please. A ginger ale for him, and a decaf coffee for me. Thanks." I replied, admitting silently to myself that I was glad she was not flirting with Gil as the receptionist at the hotel had.

"Comin' right up." Her twangy voice suddenly seemed distant, and I looked up to see her watching a man enter the bar. I twisted my head slightly so I could see who she was staring at. The moment I saw him, it was obvious why she had been staring. He looked to be about thirty or so, and he seemed completely at ease with the woman's obvious ogling of him.

The woman quickly went off to fetch our drinks, and the man sat down at the table next to ours.

She came back in less than a minute, obviously rushing to get to her next customer. When she finally made her way over to him, she flirted so shamelessly, it almost made me laugh.

It really is amusing to watch the way women fell over some men's feet. It was obvious that this man probably had thousands of them willing to cater to his every whim. He looked every bit the tall, dark, handsome cowboy part, all the way from the top of his black Stetson to the metal-toed ends of his boots. He had broodding dark looks, and everything. But somehow, he did nothing for me. Zip, zilch, nada. I don't know why, as he was obviously every woman's fantasy. But as soon as I turned away from him, and stared into those deep blue orbs of the man sitting across from me, I knew why. Because the only man I was truly interested in was someone I had known for practucally all of my adult life. My best friend, Gil Grissom.

Who, I noted with amusement, was about to fall asleep in his ginger ale. First, I needed to go to the restroom, and then we could go get some of that sleep that he so obviously needed.

gcgcgcgc

"I'm going to go visit the ladies' room for a minute, Gil. As soon as I am out, we can leave."

"Mmmhmm"

I just sat there, mesmerised by the way that cute tush of hers moved as she walked away. I may have been exhausted, but my eyes were still working. She glanced back once, and although I averted my gaze, I was almost positive she saw me. I felt the blood rush to my face, even though she had already turned back around. Was it my imagination, or was the sway of her hips a little more pronounced now? This was certainly not helping my already active imagination.

I was definitely going to be having some interesting dreams tonight.

TBC...


	4. Play Something Country

Notes: I am SO sorry it took this long. For some reason, I seemed to have some major writer's block for this chapter, along with more ideas than I usually have at one time to distract me. I will try my darndest (I love that word, isn't it hilarious!) to get the next chapter out alot faster. It should be alot easier, since it is practically done already. I had fun while writing this, but my brain seems to have moved on to other fics! Anyway, this is a pretty long note, so I think I'm going to let you read the fic now! lol! BTW, this chapter is TOTALLY OOC, but there is a reason for that, as you will find out i the next chapter. Or figure it out on your own, as it's not really that hard! ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI. This chapter was very much inspired by the song "Play Something Country" by Brooks and Dunn, thus the title of the chapter, lol! I don't own that either.

--Jacksonville Dreamin' Chapter Four--

I was just sitting there and the next thing I know, the front doors blew open and Catherine stepped inside with a flourish.

Somehow, she had moved from the bathroom, where I had seen her last, to outside, which is where she was coming from now.

She had changed clothes, and was now wearing ridiculously low-cut faded blue jeans with a black halter top that showed off her perfect stomach. On her head was a black Stetson that matched the one I had seen that macho cowboy wearing, and she was wearing candy-apple red cowboy boots. Her reddish tinted blonde hair flowed down her back, perfectly accented by the black top she was wearing. On anybody else, the outfit probably would have looked ridiculous, but on her... She looked absolutely, breathtakingly, gorgeous! In a western sort of way. Not that there was anything wrong with that, in fact, I really liked it.

The next thing I knew, she was sauntering right up to me. Staring in my eyes the entire time, she ordered a shot of whiskey, and when it came, downed it in one gulp. She banged it back down on the table, and moved a little closer to me.

"I'm a whisky-drinkin' cowboy chasin', helluva time. I like Kenny, Keith, Allan, and Patsy Cline."

"I didn't know you liked country, Catherine." I squeaked when I could find my voice.

She leaned in towards me seductively, and said, "You bet I do, cowboy."

My eyes widened, and she grabbed my hand, pulled me up out of the chair, and started dancing.

"Come on, Gil. You've got to have some fun!" She said, all the while twisting her hips to the beat, and having a great time.

"Catherine, you know I don't dance."

"Not even with me?" She asked with pouty lips.

Just when I was about to weaken, the country music stopped and some type of rap came on. Catherine immediately stopped dancing. Amid the annoyed murmers of the others in the bar, she jumped up on top of the table and yelled over at the man playing the music.

"I didn't come here to hear this! I shaved my legs, I payed my money! Play somethin' country!"

I didn't know what the hell had happened in that bathroom, and I didn't know what on earth was going on. All I knew was that she looked hot, and for some reason, I felt like playing along. Not at all like myself, come to think of it. The men over by the pool table whistled and clapped as she climbed back down. The country music started up again, and I have to admit that it didn't sound that bad at all.

Next thing I knew, we were dancing up a storm, along with several other couples who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. I found myself liking country music more and more, when a slower song came on, and Catherine scooted in closer to me, so that it was the closest we had ever been. It felt so natural, so right. I didn't even have second thoughts as we swayed. The entire dance was sweet, yet sensual, and I wasn't at all happy when it ended. The next couple songs we sat out, drinking a beer, and just listening to the loud music.

We got back up to dance, and I was having a blast. It was hard not to with this new, wild Catherine showering _me_, of all people with her attention.

After so many dances, I lost count, the bartender yelled "Y'all it's closin' time!"

I hadn't even realized we had been there that long. Catherine scooted a little closer, to whisper in my ear.

"I guess we have to leave now."

"Yeah." I managed to squeak, because somehow, I _still_ hadn't gotten used to seeing her like this.

_  
_Then I lost all train of thought as she leaned up and kissed me full on the lips. That lasted a few seconds, although I wished it could have gone on for hours. When she pulled back, I was breathless, but she looked like she had barely been affected at all. But when I searched her eyes, it was obvious that she had been as much as I had.

"Let's get out of here." She whispered.

Grabbing my hand, she pulled me outside and into a bright red convertable that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. She turned up the radio to a level that practically blew my ears out. On a country station, of course. She sang along as we rode out into the already fading sunset, down a long dirt road that seemed to never end.

After what seemed way too short of a time to actually get anywhere, we were sitting on a cliff that overlooked a beautiful desert view. We sat there for minutes, watching the sun fade out of sight.

The radio was turned down, although it was still on. The intimacy of the moment could not be denied. But the moment I leaned over to kiss her, I found she had vanished.

TBC...


	5. Dreaming?

Notes: Okay, this was supposed to be the end, but for some reason, I decided to extend it. I seem to be having fun with this story again. Yay:)

--Jacksonville Dreamin' Chapter Five--

"Gil?"

I opened my eyes to find Catherine staring down at me, a half amused, half worried expression on her face.

What? Where was I? Why had she changed clothes again?

"Cath? What happened?"

Apparently she decided I was okay, because the worry melted away, leaving only amusement in its wake.

"You fell asleep."

Oh. So it _had_ been a dream, then. I thought it was. Not that I would have minded if it wasn't... Oh, Catherine's waiting for an answer. It wouldn't really help my cause to arouse her suspicion right now.

"At the bar?"

She smirked at me.

"No, Gil, on the bed with me in some cheap hotel room. YES at the bar! You were staying here while I went to the ladies' room, remember?"

"Oh. Yes, of course. Sorry, I had a momentary lapse there." I said, giving her my most innocent smile, trying my best not to let it turn into a smirk as I recalled my dream. I was seriously hoping my acting skills had improved. No such luck. Her eyes narrowed, and she looked at me suspiciously.

"What?"

The glint in her eyes reminded me of a similar one I had seen during my dream. I remembered the way she pressed up against me when we danced, and I felt the tension growing in areas other than the air between us.

"Gil Grissom, are you smirking at me?"

"No."

Her mouth opened as she stared at me playfully.

"Yes, you are!"

"No, I'm not."

"Why are you looking at me like that!"

She was curious, and having fun, as much as she tried to conceal it. I love it when we are like this. Just me and Catherine, being together,arguing, joking, talking about anything but work.

gcgcgcgc

What on earth is looking at me like that for? Not smirking? Yeah. Right.

Something is up, and I'm going to find out what it is. Okay, I'm a CSI. I just have to examine the evidence. I don't have anything on me for him to be laughing about. It must have been something he was dreaming about, since he just woke up. Well, you are supposed to dream about whatever you were thinking about before you went to sleep. Well, that's a dead end. How the heck should I know what he was thinking? I'm not a mind reader! Wait a second...I cought him staring at my tush when I was walking to the bathroom...

Oh God, what if he was dreaming about me? Oh, this really isn't helping. And he is _still _staring at me like that.

"What!"

This was really starting to bug me.

"Nothing. Let's go, Cath."

And he stood up, and walked to the door, not even glancing be hind him to see if I had followed.

Well, geez, Gil. Don't be overly concerned or anything.

I followed him, of course, but something was still up. But I got the feeling that I was not going to know what it was unless he volunteered the information.

Which I very much doubt he will.

Which is bad, because it's going to be driving me crazy.

"Come on, Gil. Please?"

We had climbed into the Denali by now, and Gil was driving.

I could see half a smile on his lips, but he continued ignoring me.

"If I guess, will you tell me?"

"Maybe."

Damn him. He was enjoying this way too much! At least I finally got an answer; I'm not used to him having th upper hand. That priviledge is usually reserved for me.

"Were you dreaming about me?" I hated to sound self-centered, but that was the only thing I could think of to explain his behavior.

"Yes."

What? Did he just answer me? Instead of feeling relieved and triumpant, as I should have, I only felt let down.

Which was ridiculous, because I had not been having fun. I had been annoyed. Okay, so I might have been having a _little_ fun...

But he was dreaming about me? That finally registered. But as soon as I was about to ask him about it, we were at the hotel.

We opened the doors in unison, and climbed out without a word.

Throwing him a teasing smile as we reached our seperate hotel rooms, I decided to flirt a little. I mean, what's wrong with that? I love having fun with him. And, of course, it would always be nice to gain the upper hand again...

"So, you dreamed about me, huh? Was it a good dream?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Woah, did Gil Grissom just flirt back at me? Okay, this was a new game.

"Why yes, I would."

"I never thought of you as one to be so vain, Catherine. Dreams are very personaly things; you should not ask one to share them, just to hear about yourself."

Thankfully, it was very obvious he was teasing, or I might have become offended. But I didn't.

"I'm not vain. Just curious."

"Well, try to hold that curiousity 'til tomorrow. I'm tired."

He said, pushing open the door to his hotel room.

"Good night, Catherine."

"'Night."

I entered my own room, still pondering over my best friend's strange behaviour. Sometimes, I think he will be the death of me. I mean, when that hotel lady had so obviously flirted with him, he hadn't even noticed. But here he was with me, acting like it was a second natuer to him. Even though I knew it wasn't.

Or did I really know?

I needed a shower, and then bed. Gil wasn't the only one that was tired. Maybe I would be able to shed some light on things tomorrow, after a good night's sleep.

But when I stepped into the shower, the water didn't seem to work. I fiddled with the knobs and the shower head for a good two minutes before giving up. There was only one other option, considering I just had to have a shower tonight. I felt disgusting, and still smelled like smoke from the bar. Grabbing my shampoo and soap, and throwing on a bath robe, I stood at the connecting door between our two rooms. Not giving myself time to think about it, I knocked on the door, but received no answer. I waited a few seconds, and then tried again, louder this time.

I hollered at him that I was coming in, and turned the lock.

I opened the door, but stopped, open-mouthed when I found a half naked Gil just coming out of the bathroom, wearing only a brief, white towel.

TBC...


	6. Of towels and boxers

**Notes: Sorry I didn't get this up earlier. I have been very busy lately; we had a death in the family, and on top of that, my grandma had some kind of heart trouble that left her in the hospital. Thankfully, she is going to be out in a couple days. I have also been venturing into another fascinating world--the Tammy/Jonathan relationship from Guiding Light. I actually think that it's quite ridiculous that I am so hooked on a soap opera. It's all my cousin's fault. I blame it all on her for making me watch an episode. (Okay, so it was more like she was watching it, and I went to her house to baby-sit. But still...) Don't worry, though. My GC addiction is much stronger and far from over. Anyway, enough with the excuses; here's the next chapter! **

**--JD Chapter Six: Of towels and boxers--**

I felt my mouth drop open, and the air leave my lungs.

From his expression, he was as shocked to see me as I was to see him.

My eyes swept over his body, all the way from the top of his still wet head to the tips of his toes, taking in the sheen of the still damp skin, and surprisingly firm looking muscles of his stomach and arms. My mouth suddenly felt dry, and I forgot what I was going to say.

What was I doing? I was Catherine Willows. He was Gil Grissom, my best friend. I should not be this effected by the site of him in a towel.

Oh, but I was. Most definitely.

His cheeks had flushed bright red, and I realized that I was still staring.

"Err, sorry. I, um, wanted to borrow your shower. Mine wasn't working. I tried for several minutes, and it still didn't want to work. I can come beck in the morning if you want me to, and-"

"Catherine." He looked amused now, the blush seemed to have faded, and he seemed completely at ease.

"What?"

"You're rambling."

"No, I wasn't. I was explaining."

"Okay, if you say so. Well, as you can see, I am finished now, so the shower is open."

Why on earth was I getting the feeling that I was more uncomfortable than he was? I mean, he was the one parading around in a towel, not me. Although I was the one gawking rather obviously, so I suppose that could be why.

Gil had always struck me as a man who would be embarassed easily. But aside from his first reaction, which could have been mostly shock, he didn't seem to behave that much differently at all.

Unfortunately, I couldn't say as much for myself.

I was having trouble just thinking about this, much less carrying on a conversation, which he seemed to be handling just fine.

"Catherine? Was there something else you needed?"

Hell yes. You, for instance.

Woah. Where did that thought come from?

"Er, no. Sorry, I'm just a little tired."

Okay, so my thoughts and what I said contradicted just a _little_.

I came to my senses, and left him to dress in private. Much as I would have liked to stay, I really didn't think he would appreciate it.

I entered the bathroom, still steamy from his shower, and the slight tang of his soap still hung in the air. I shut the door behind me, and inhaled a long, deep breath. I really loved the scent of him, and in here, I could sniff to my hearts content.

Okay, so I was slightly pathetic.

Thankfully, there was still plenty of hot water left for me. I made a mental note as I dried off with a fluffy white hotel towel, identical to the one Gil had been wearing, to inform Miss Flirt at the desk that mine wasn't working. I would do it in the morning, though. I didn't feel like bothering tonight. I didn't know why, but I still couldn't let that little flirting episode out of my mind. It was constantly bugging me. And I didn't even know why. I mean, Gil's an attractive guy. Any woman with eyes--yes, including myself-- can see that. She wasn't the first woman to ever take an obvious interest in him.

I mean, Sara had done enough over the last couple years that I should be used to it by now.

Although she has seemed to stop doing it so much lately. I think she is finally getting the message. It was about time. It was pretty obvious he wasn't interested in her. He had made that clear from the beginning.

Thank God.

I didn't know what I would do if he fell in love with Sara.

Ick, that made me shudder just thinking about it.

I suppose Sara's alright, but she's not the type of woman that Gil needs. He needs someone who is outgoing, who loves people; someone who can make up for his shortcomings when it comes to social skills, among other things.

Someone like me.

Not the female version of him. That would be too boring, not to mention just...wrong.

Okay, so I might be just a little biased.

After all, I did want Gil for myself.

A knock on the door brought me out of my reverie.

"Catherine? Are you alright in there?"

A slightly sleepy, though worried sounding voice filtered through the thin wood and paint of the door.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I realized that the air in the bathroom was already cooling, I had been standing there for so long. My skin was about raw from all of the rubbing I had been doing.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute."

I hung the towel over the shower bar, and threw on my bathrobe, smiling wryly at myself.

When I opened the door, I found that he had gotten dressed, sort of, and was wearing his version of pajamas. Navy blue boxers, and a white t-shirt that hugged his torso.

And I wasn't so sure that they were any less disturbing than when he had been wearing only a towel. Not that I was really inspecting his attire very thoroughly, I was simply observing.

Never mind if my inspection was slightly more detailed than necessary.

He was sitting on the bed closest to the bathroom, and only looking slightly less worried than he had sounded a few minutes before.

There were two beds, I realized. We could have just shared a room.

I didn't realize I had expressed my thoughts out loud until he answered.

"Well, we didn't know they had two beds when we checked in. It wouldn't have worked if there had only been one."

Oh, it would have. I just wouldn't have been able to sleep a wink.

"Why?"

Why! I knew why. What had possessed me to ask that? It seemed to just pop out of my mouth; the first thing that come to my mind to break the silence of the room.

Maybe I just liked watching him squirm. That was a possibility too, I suppose.

"Why do you think?"

What had my big mouth just gotten me into?

"Hey! Isn't it supposed to be the woman who answers a question with a question?"

"Isn't that what you just did?"

Erg, I hated it when he did that! Okay, I didn't really _hate_ it, but you know what I mean. I really should get out of there, and be in bed. We were both tired, and had alot of work to be done tomorrow. Make that today, I thought as I glanced at the clock.

"Maybe. But you still didn't answer me."

"Ah, but you didn't answer me either."

Something dangerous was in the room, circling, looking for just the right moment to reach out and grab us. I wanted to escape it, yet I wanted to stay.

But my cowardly side won, and I decided to leave before I could say something that could affect our friendship negatively.

Then again, it could impact it in a good way, but tonight, I wasn't up to taking that risk.

Maybe in the morning.

But a little voice in the back of my head whispered that I wouldn't do it then, either.

Unfortunately, I knew that it was probably true.

"Well. I'm tired. I think I'm going to head to bed."

I could tell that he knew I was evading him. After all, he was a CSI; he notices everything.

Everything, that is, except the one secret I still hide from him.

But that is okay. I enjoy our friendship.

He nodded, apparently letting out prior conversation go.

I turned to go back to my own when his voice startled me.

"Because if I was ever in the same bed with you, I would be entirely too tempted for my own good."

_What_ did he just say?

TBC...


	7. Secrets become not so secret

**Notes: Thanks for all the reviews! Seriously, you guys rock! I got this chapter up a soon as I finished writing it. Which unfortunately took a little longer than planned, 'cause I wrote most of it, then decided that it sucked, so I started over, and now I like it alot more:)**

**Disclaimer: Gil and Cath aren't mine. :(**

**--JD Chapter 7: Secrets become not so secret--**

_Previously on CSI:_

_"Because if I was ever in the same bed with you, I would be entirely too tempted for my own good."_

_**What** did he just say?_

"What did you just say?"

For once, my words matched my thoughts.

Not to mention I was so stunned by what I was almost positive he had said, that I couldn't think of anything else _to_ say.

"You heard me."

Those words shocked me almost more than his previous statement.

Almost.

I just stood there, paralyzed. My mouth was hanging open for the second time that night. And both times had been because of Gil. What had happened to him on this trip?

He was admitting to wanting me? Oh my God, he was admitting to wanting me! It took me a few seconds to process, but when it did, the power that gave me automatically surged to my brain.

My mouth turned upwards in a combination of a seductive smile and a smirk.

"I would have to say the feeling's mututal, Mr. Grissom."

The expected widening of the eyes and blush didn't come.

Instead, he just looked at me smugly.

"I know."

"You know?" Was my dumb answer.

He seemed to be making a habit of gaining the upper hand. Well, I didn't like it.

And thus the teasing battle commenced.

"And how exactly did you come by that piece of useful information?"

"Elementry, my dear Catherine."

He stood up from the bed in one smooth, lithe motion.

I was momentarily distracted by the action, but soon regathered my thoughts. I was going to win this unspoken challenge.

And the thing that made it more exciting was that he was equally as determined.

"Elementry? Sorry, but for once, you can't quote your way out of this one. You'll have to explain that remark. It's not detailed enough."

"So you want details? Well, let's see. You walked in on me in a towel, and then proceeded to stare at me the entire time you were in the room. And _then_, the moment you entered the room again, glanced over my outfit with slightly more than necessary thoroughness. Detailed enough for you?"

Oh, crap. I didn't realize that he had noticed _all_ of that.

"Yes, but at least I wasn't staring at your tush all night. In a public place, no less!"

"I couldn't help it. You have a very nice tush, Catherine."

He may have said that before, but I still liked hearing it.

"I seem to remember hearing something along those lines before. But we got interrupted."

"That's because it's true. And we're alone, now, Catherine. We're not going to get interrupted again."

He had moved forward a little, and it turned out that I had as well, so we were standing only a couple feet from each other. A couple of feet that were swimming with enough sexual tension to fill the state of Texas.

The game was forgotten as he slowly leaned towards me. But, as if a spring had been released, the slowness ceased, and his lips crashed onto mine.

Not that I minded at all.

I kissed him back with reckless abandon. I had been wanting to do this since...Gil was such a great kisser, I really didn't care how long I had wanted this to happen. All I knew was that it was.

Oh, boy, but it was!

His hands were resting not so lightly on my hips, and he drew me in closer.

Mine were roaming anywhere and everywhere I could touch. From the soft hair of his head, to up underneath his shirt to that chest I had so recently admired.

We were both gasping for breath, but neither cared. His hands went to part my robe, but reality entered then, and I pushed him away.

We stood there, panting and staring at each other. I needed my strength for the work we had to do the next day. And if we did this...well, I wasn't going to be in the mood to be very active. Well, I wasn't going to be in the mood to work, anyway. Some other...activities, I might not object to so much.

But I steered my concentration away from such thoughts. As the kiss-induced euphoria faded, I remembered our forgotten game.

Oooh, how I would love to win that...

"Well, that was a pleasant experience. And I do believe I will turn in now."

He just stood there, loooking shocked and a little confused. I was sure he wasn't expecting that. I had been counting on it, in fact.

Then I made my grand exit.

But it was halted by a hand grabbing me, and pulling me back towards him.

"But I didn't kiss you goodnight."

His lips came down gently this time, and when his tongue invaded my mouth, I couldn't have cared less about our game or work the next day.

gcgcgcgc

Catherine and I were getting into some heavy kissing when I heard it.

A soft, and then not so soft rapping on my door.

I broke my lips off from hers.

"Cath. Someone's at the door."

"I don't care."

"I do. It's-" I glanced down at my watch. "Ten fifteen. Something must be up."

She stuck her bottom lip out in an adorable pout that almost made me change my mind about opening the door.

Almost, but not quite.

I headed for the door and opened it.

The sheriff stood outside. We had met earlier in the case, so I recognized him immediately.

"Sheriff?"

"Mr. Grissom. Nice to see you again."

His gaze moved over my shoulder.

"Hello again, Catherine."

I heard Catherine's gasp, and I'm sure that I went at least a little red in the face.

I cleared my throat and spoke.

"Is there something I can help you with, Sheriff?"

A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, though he tried not to show it.

"I was coming to tell you that we've discovered the other crime scene. I tried calling earlier, but you didn't answer."

That would be because my cell phone was dead. Thanks to my forgetting a charger.

"I'm sorry. My cell phone was dead. Was I needed?"

"No, I just thought you might want to know. Well, I can see that you're...busy at the moment, so I will see you tomorrow."

He tipped his hat to me and Catherine, and then turned around to walk back to his patrol car.

I shut the door, and was afraid to turn around.

"Well, that has to rate up there in my list of embarrassing moments."

But before I could apologize, a teasing voice sounded near my ear.

"I thought you said we weren't going to get interrupted this time."

I finished turning around, and teased back, embarrassment forgotten.

"Well, I was wrong. We'll just have to wait for some other time, I guess."

This teasing was simply for fun, though. Nothing further was going to happen tonight. We were both tired and had to work in the morning.

"You bet we will. 'Night, Gil."

"Good night, Cath."

And with a small peck on the cheek, she was gone.

TBC...


	8. Shut up and kiss me

**Notes: Yay, I am so happy to be back! Due to unfortunate circumstances, I was not able to read, review, or post for almost a month. ( But I'm back and (hopefully) better than ever!**

**This is the final chapter. Hope it was worth the wait!**

**Dedication: To LynnFox, crimsonhearted, lemonjelly, lena, The Notorious Cat, DrusillaBraun, coolcatz, CSI Battosai, benetrice, janisha, countrymusicncsigirl, belgianbabe2974, anne, da-DnA-dude, Stephanie, JD, Haley104, and Stephanie. Thank you all SO much for reviewing! **

**Disclaimer: If you think that I magically acquired the rights to Gil and Cath since the last chapter, you are optimistically crazy. They're still not mine.**

**--JD Chapter Eight: Shut up and kiss me--**

Gil and I had arrived safely back in Las Vegas a little over an hour ago. At the moment, we were in the Denali, and Gil was driving, as had become his habit over the course of our trip.

The silence inside our vehicle was slightly strained. Barely enough to be noticeable; in fact, if you tried, you could quite easily ignore it. But it was there. And it had been there ever since that night in Gil's hotel room. Not a word had been spoken of it; the next day, we had acted just as we had the entire trip. But I could tell he was avoiding it; he hadn't just forgotten. I didn't know if he thought he had taken advantage of me, or what. But that couldn't be farther from the truth. And if I hadn't have wanted that to happen, he definitely would have known it. I had done everything other than asking him straight out. A couple of the hints I had given him since then that were about the equivilent of Sara and that flirty receptionist combined. I swear, for being a genius, that man really isn't too bright when it comes to women. Well, I don't really care that he's oblivious to other women, but when it's me, it is quite aggrivating.

Even our stewardess on the plane was overly solicious. Of course, that may be due to the slight fact that because I am in love with him, I am instantly wary of every female that comes near him, and she was just doing her job.

I suppose that's a possibility. I thought wryly as I smiled at myself.

"What's that smile for?" I was startled out of my thoughts by his query.

"Oh, nothing. Just reflecting on things."

"What things?"

"Just things. Why are you so interested?" I asked with a smile.

He had been stopped at a stop sign, but now started driving again, forcing his gaze away from me, and back to the road.

He waited a few seconds, then answered.

"No reason; just making conversation."

Okay, this had to stop. And I couldn't resist saying the first thing that popped into my head.

"Oh, well in that case, I was envisioning you naked."

"_What!_"

The Denali suddenly swerved, causing an blare of the horn from behind us. Half a second later, we were back safely on the road.

He glanced over at me, and the laughter I had been trying to hold back suddenly sprang to life.

"You should have...seen your...face!"

"You shocked me." He hesitated. "Were you really?"

I could tell that he was still unsure about asking the question, and inwardly, I grinned at his shyness when I was so obviously flirting with him. Although somehow, I knew he would respond like that. I loved it when he did. It reminded me how unlike a lot of other guys he was. Of course, I already knew that, but still...

I suddenly realized that I was keeping him in suspence by my silence.

"No."

I could almost laugh at the disappointment that flashed across his face for an instant before it was replaced with that indifferent mask.

"Not that it would have been a bad thing to imagine, though." I added with a cheeky grin.

Inwardly, I was yelling at him: Come on, Gil! If you don't respond to this, I swear...

"Catherine, why are you flirting with me?"

Yes! This was a start...

"Why do women usually flirt with men?"

"Why do I get the feeling that this is a trick question?"

"It isn't. Just answer me."

"All right...usually women flirt with men because they like them."

"And...?" I prompted.

"Because they want the other member to do something about it."

"Brilliant deduction, Gil. So, now for the original question: Why was I flirting with you?"

"I believe that was your question to answer."

"So? You seem to have figured out the answer to the other question easily enough. Why not answer this one?"

I watched as he pondered that for several seconds.

"So? Why was I flirting with you?" I pushed, knowing he had to crack eventually.

Suddenly, the tires screeched as we turned into a vacant parking lot, and the horn of the truck behind us blared once again, the driver shouting at us as he whizzed by.

"What the hell are you doing; trying to get us killed!" I yelled at him.

"Answering your question. You were flirting with me because you wanted me to do this."

And "this" was his lips crashing down on mine, devouring them as if he were a drowning man and I was his air.

Not that I objected, of course.

I savored the incredible sensations radiating throughout my body for a few minutes, then pulled away for a moment.

Grinning up at him, I spoke.

"It's about time you caught on."

His face held an answering grin.

"Catherine, my dear, no man on earth could misread those signs."

"That was the point."

"So I noticed." He paused. "Catherine?"

"Yes?"

Some of the humor had gone from his voice, and I knew that what he said next was going to have a major impact on me.

"What would you say if I told you that I loved you?"

Wow. If that wasn't major impact, I didn't know what was.

I smiled, raising an eyebrow at him. "I'd say that's a damn good thing, Mr. Grissom. Because I happen to love you too."

His face lit up in a thousand-watt grin, and he dropped a quick kiss on my lips.

"Good. And Cath, I'm sorry about not bringing up the other night. I wasn't sure if you had had really wanted it the way I did, and I didn't know if I had just taken advantage of you while you were tired..."

Aha! So I had been right. Men could be so blind! He continued rambling, but I interrupted.

"Gil?"

He stopped.

"Shut up and kiss me."

"As usual, your wish is my command."

His mouth descended on mine in a breath-taking kiss. Without removing my mouth from his, I spoke in a somewhat muffled voice.

"You know, I think you're catching on rather quickly."

"I try."

And then there was no talking for a long time.

THE END


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